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Friday, November 7, 2014

Oh my goodness 2014 is going way too fast! Here is a quick post of what I have been working on over the past months, with more photos to come. I need to get better at remembering to post these pictures as I go, we all know what my New Years Resolution will be don't we!

This year has been the year of "seize the day and the stash". I'm very good at hoarding fabric and making excuses like "I'm waiting for the perfect project to come along", "I can't choose what quilt design" or "I'm waiting for the perfect quilt idea". I'm sure I'm not the only one out there guilty of this, but sometimes you just have to embrace the sewing bug when it comes and seize that stash and stop putting off cutting into that fabric bundle!Quite Contrary Quilt (aka Strawberry Fields Quilt)for my little cousin

I made this using the Go! Baby cutter and a fat quarter bundle of Quite Contrary by My Minds Eye for Riley Blake. I won both of these from the lovely Madame Samm over at Stash Manicure/Sew! We Quilt a few years ago and was stashing it away for until the perfect project came along or a day I had the sewing bug. So an enormous thankyou and hugs again Madame Samm for re-inspiring me and helping me catch the quilting bug again :)

The Go! Cutter was so exciting to work with, perfect for the sudden must sew now moment I was having and within minutes I was able to turn a whole fat quarter bundle into perfect squares and start playing around with patterns and sewing it together. I was definitely in a must sew now can't handle fussing around mood, and cutting squares would usually have taken me hours and they would certainly have not been lovely neat squares! I was so excited I kept running down to show mum how many squares I'd ended up with in minutes. I hope I'm not the only one that gets excited but hundreds of colourful little squares...

Anywho, the plain cream squares I was thinking of stitching flowers and strawberries on, but I'm undecided at the moment and stuck on how to quilt it. I found some gorgeous backing fabric last weekend, so I will take pictures of it when it's light again.

Boutique Quilt

The fabric is Boutique by Chez Moi for Moda. I bought the fabric a couple of years ago I think and was again "stashing it away",this time I knew what I wanted to do with it as I had a layout guide for it based on a quilt I'd seen at the fabric store, but it was a case of too many other projects on the go at that time. But here it is so far! I can't decide whether or not to add a boarder around the outside in the same colour as the sashing, so I would love to hear your thoughts, what do you think?

Figure 8 Scarf

I also made a figure 8 scarf recently using Anna Maria Horner's Figuring the 8 tutorial. I absolutely adore figure 8 scarves and have been eyeing off this tutorial for years.The fabric is The Birds and the Bees by Tula Pink on one side and a dark navy minky on the other side...so very thick and snuggly and perfect for taking to the snow next season! I'll try to take some better photos over the weekend.

In other news, I have FINALLY finished the Just Dreaming Summer Quilt that I started 5 years ago and have only just finished, very excited and can't wait to show you pictures of it, stay tuned :)

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

It's been a long time since I've been blogging, but I'm back and very excited to be blogging again!

Unfortunately I got quite sick a couple of years ago and while trying to juggle uni, work and my health something had to give and be put aside for a while and that something had to be blogging. Sadly sewing and quilting was pushed aside for a while as well, I just didn't have a lot of time, inspiration or motivation and my projects were at a stage where they couldn't easily be picked up again spontaneously.

I'm a lot better now and I'm pleased to say the sewing bug is finally back! the inspiration is back and I am full of ideas again! Not to mention the dining table is covered in sewing books and Charlie is lying in fabric scraps again!

There have been some exciting things that have happened over the last couple of years and I'm sure these have helped and contributed to the sewing bugs return...

I present to you, the two most exciting and influential (or we'd be here all week reading an essay!)

#1: Last year I brought home a new friend for Charlie, in my last blog post I posted a few sneak peak pictures of our gorgeous little Ollie.
Ollie is a Mini Labradoodle (Labrador x Mini Poodle) and came to us as he was unable to be sold due to some behavioural problems he had at 8 weeks. When he was scared or stressed, he would spin neurotically in tight circles, the Vet called it "Stereotypical Behaviour".

He had been staying with a friend and came to stay with us over a weekend and never left! Due to my experience with dog training and puppy training I was determined to do everything I could to help him and help him get better and he in turn helped me.

It was a very big challenge, it took a lot of time, a lot of training and behavioural modification, a lot of love and patience, but a year and a bit on and he is a different dog! He hasn't spun in circles for a year, we no longer find him walking repeatedly around objects, he is still very silly and a bit of an odd ball but he's become a much calmer, affectionate little noodle and enjoys every day being a dog and making Charlie play with him!

Here is Ollie and Charlie after I took them to the dog park the other day, poking their tongues out!

Not sure how impressed they were with wearing their Christmas T-shirts on Christmas day and being forced to sit still instead of play with their new toys!

Charlie is still his handsome and smiley self, he will be 10 this year!

#2 For as long as I can remember, I have loved the snow. It's beautiful, magical and breathtaking!

A couple of years ago (2012) while recovering after surgery, I decided 2012 was going to be the year I learnt to ski or snowboard, so I bought all the clothing gear, found a friend equally as excited and keen to go and we went! We had the most amazing time. When we came home, Mum and Dad said it was the happiest and most excited they had seen me in a long time and that trip was the start of my love affair with snowboarding and with Australia's beautiful Alpine region and High Country.

After that trip I bought a Snowboard and most weekends in the snow season I can be found dancing in the snow and Snowboarding around breathtaking mountains and loving every minute of it! It is constantly challenging me, pushing my comfort zone, raising my confidence and giving me the opportunity to meet some amazing and lovely people.

Unfortunately we only have snow during Winter here and today is 40 degrees, the dogs are swimming in their shell pool and I am melting and dreaming of snow!

Thank you for reading along, for your comments and support, stay tuned for some sewing and quilting!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

I miss blogging...I miss sharing what I'm making and what inspires me, I miss reading all your lovely comments and suggestions, I miss reading all the wonderful blogs and seeing what everyone is making...

So in case anyone still reads this...this is just a quick note to say I know it has been an incredibly long time and that no I haven't dropped off the face of the earth (just the blogging one!) and that I'm coming back soon!

Here is a sneak peak at one of the more exciting things that has happened while I've been gone...

Meet the Ollie man!

Hope you are all well and still sewing through life!

Better get back to madly finishing assignments and studying for exams.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Just a quick update to share the gorgeous pincushion I received from Sally in the Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild Pin Cushion Swap....

How cute it is? I love it! and it has owls and buttons on it...just perfect! I wish I could share a better picture because the piecing is amazing, I'm still trying to figure out how she made it.

So thank you so much Sally, it is sitting on my desk at the moment, making me smile as I'm studying :)

I was a bit late sending mine out and forgot to take a picture of it, woopsie. I will see if I can get a picture to share from my partner Kelli...hopefully she loves it as much as I do, it was so hard to part with!

Also, nearly finished the quilt top using the Boutique fabric I shared in the last post, I'm hoping it's not to rainy tomorrow so I can take it outside to photograph the progress so far.

Unfortunately there really isn't much to report on at the moment. Working part time 30 hours a week and studying at uni full time = not much sewing if any at all and not much inspiration, not a lot of blogging, no agility, and no cooking...I really need to find a better balance I think! I do have nearly two months off in June and July, after exams finish so I know what I will be doing... Lots of sewing, blogging, cupcake making, agility and relaxing I think!

About Me

Currently studying at uni,I love all things art and craft especially sewing. I have been quilting for 6 years now and have an obsession with fabric and a love of bright colours. Charlie aka the quilt sitter, is my beautiful dog who loves Agility. Ollie aka Ollie Man, Mr Noodle or the very silly puppy is the newest member of the family.
Feel free to comment or send me an email, I would love to hear what you think and your suggestions and ideas are always welcome.
Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! :)

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